Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-01

closing hours. All was going well and
there was every prospect that the Job
would be finished in ample season, when
most annoying contretempts occurred.
A policeman with an acute sense of hear
ing and an inquiring mind happened to
stroll past the bank, and was attracted by
Il singular humming or buzzing noise pro
ceedlng from the bowels of the earth. He
paused, listened, specialized and finally
located the mystery as somewhere in the
depths of the fashionable saloon. With a
lack of delicacy which cannot be too
strongly reprobated this man knocked at
the door of the saloon and de-
manded admittance; aud falling to oh.
tain it, he had the bad taste to raise such
commotion that the operators of the en-
CINE felt it due to their self-respect to
leave the building by way of door in
the rear. All got away, but two, who were
overtaken and persuaded to accompany
the officer to the station. 1t is said that
the bank never made any offer to REIN
burse Mr. Grady for the outlay which had
thus been rendered abortive, and which
Is believed to have amounted to between
thirty and fifty thousand dollars. Bank
directors like other corporations have no
souls
In spite of losses and vicissitudes, how
ever, John ID. Grady grew to be a wealthy
man and a power in his own circle. The
most eminent operators in the profession
were HIS neICnIllcn anu supporters UUty
made him the Contidant of the most sacred
medtations of their hearts, deferred to
him. borrowed of him and swore by him.
He knew all other mems counsels, but no
other man knew his; his was the agency
whereby all undertakings were rendered
possible, but it was as invisible as it was
effective. 1t is estimated that he might,
had he been so minded, have filled an en-
tire wing of the public establishment at
Sing Sing with involuntary occupants. 1t
is interesting to note, by the way, that, by
a quaint coincidence, Big Jim (who was
no other than the Jim Brady who played
the subordinate part in the little drama
recently alluded to- again came into col
lision with his old opponent, and came
near being betrayed into serious breach
of good manners. The two gentlemen dis
agreed on business question. Mr.. Brady
had taken fancy to the contents of an
out-of-town banking concern, and Mr.
Grady had advanced him seventeen thou
sand dollars toward carrying out his de-
signs. But unexpected complications
occurred, and three thousand dollars
more were were needed to put the scheme
on paying basis. Mr.. Grady, however,
had begun to lose faithin the enterprise /;
he fatty refused to put up another cent.
Mr.. Brady's chagrin at this disappont-
ment was so keen that, in the etferves-
cence of the moment, he drew revolves
from his pocket and, pointing it at his in
terlocutor's forehead, proposed to him the
alternative of either producing the cash
or dispensing with his brains. AS Mr..
J Grady had no wish to be considered pig
headed he embraced the former horn of
the dilemma but the incident caused
both parties to feel hurt, and Mr.. Brady IS
subsequent withdrawal from public life
after having attempted to rid the com
munity of a policeman, prevented their
| former cordial relations from ever being
| resumed.
That the diamond merchant had weak
ness-a tender foible-has been already in
timated in a former part of this narrative
but from the majority of these shy ro-
mances it is unnecessary to withdraw the
veil. Grady had warm blood in his veins
and it circulated vigorously; he had a
healthy, appetite, sound sleep, and bright
eye. In addition to these qualifications
/ for approaching the gentler sex, 1t is pro
bable that this man. who was known in
the cold world of affairs as "Old Supers
and Slangs," reconcile fgurative eX
pressions, having reference to his trade
that genial John, | say, felt yearning IN
his nature for those tender batteries and
soft cajoments, those sweet glances, and
that ripping laughter, which were al
that could compensate him for the, stern
career of duty and self-denial to which he
was too exclusively committed. In the
latter, his intellect and his harsher traits
were alone involved there renamed tha'
large tropic region of his character which
cried aloud for sympathy, and which pro
tested against the stunning and hardening
| influence of merely mundane avocatlons
1t is pathetic to reflect that lovely women
should so inadequately have appreciated
their privileges and opportunities as tC
use them and him for the qualification OF
low and selfish cravings. But such is the
ironc perversity of life and John, whose
strong social aptitudes aud broad toler
ance would have sufiiced to make any
woman happy wife, was condemned t
a lonely existence, the brilliant outward
success of which only served to render
more poignant its deficiencies on the
domestic side.
STILL he chung to the sex with a touching
persistence. He must have known thai
they were deceivers but he chose rather
to be deceived than starved And a
length an experience came to him, new
absorbing, Unprecedented, which bad
fair. to repay a thousand fold all previous
disappointment. Perhaps he fancied h'
had been reserved for all those years TO
this his sufferings had been blessings il
disguise. No human being knew of the
intrigue save the two who were concern
ed in it, and as John sat one evening IL
the autumn of 1878 in the little bach
room of his dingy shop, awaiting thu
preconcerted signal of her appearance, h
yielded to a fond dream of untold fellcit.
to come.